Video surveillance, which is the act of observing and/or capturing video of an area using one or more cameras, is a commonly used technique in both public and private environments for improving the security and safety of those environments. From a security perspective, video surveillance is most effective when it is “always on” (i.e., observing or capturing video of an area on a continuous and ongoing basis). This is because the cameras performing such always-on video surveillance can capture all attempted intrusions, thefts, or other security breaches within the vicinity of the monitored area, regardless of when those breaches may occur.
However, as may be appreciated, always-on video surveillance can raise privacy concerns when used in a private setting, such as a home. For example, assume that a homeowner has a security system installed in his/her house, with a camera that is configured to constantly record all activity within the homeowner's living room. In this scenario, the homeowner may feel uncomfortable about being “watched” on a continuous basis as the homeowner and his/her family interact/congregate in the living room. In addition, the homeowner may be feel uncomfortable about who may inadvertently get a hold of the recorded video footage, and what it may potentially be used for. This is particularly true if the security system is operated by a third-party service provider and the recorded footage is sent to a remote data center operated by the service provider.
One way to mitigate these privacy concerns is to allow the homeowner to disable and enable the video surveillance within his/her home at-will. Unfortunately, this approach can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the security system, since the homeowner will generally have no idea of when a security beach or emergency situation may occur. Further, this approach is cumbersome because it requires the homeowner to manually interact with the security system each time he/she wishes to turn on or turn off the camera.